With just a short window of time before winter sets in and the Mt. Washington Auto Road closes for the season, The Mount Washington Observatory sent its members a progress report this week:

"Deconstruction of the old museum began on Sept. 30. All exhibits were carefully removed and Curator Dr. Peter Crane is now working to archive the artifacts in our Gladys Brooks Memorial Library and other private collections.

"A small team from the Appalachian Mountain Club Construction Crew began demolition work on October 7 and will stay at the summit until the site prep is completed, hopefully by mid-November. A big thanks to the ambitious summit volunteers working to feed this crew in addition to our own!

"Jeff Kennedy Associates of Somerville, MA will be building the exhibits as modular components this fall and winter. The materials will be staged in box trucks at the base of the mountain, so they can be transported to the summit for installation next spring."

Thanks to a generous membership there are fewer than $40,000 left to raise on the $825,000 budget.